lanchester



APPLICATION FILED JAN-18, 1919- Patented July 29, 1919.

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F/W. LANCHESTER. AEROPLANE AND APPARATUS FOR LAUNCHING AND RECEIVING,SAME.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18 i919- Patented Ju1y'29, 1919.

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Jail-271K391- .z aw

\ F. W. LANCHESTER.

AEROPLANE AND APPARATUS FOR LAUN-CHING AND RECEIVING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. I 8. 1919.

Patented July 29, 1919.

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Java/233071 v f. 14/. Lanafiesi'en F.'W. LANQHESTER. I AEROPLANE ANDAPPARATUS FOR LAUNCHING AND RECEIVING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. I8.'I9I9. 1 3 1 1 790. 7 Patented July 29, 1919'.

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U ITED STATES FREDERICK WIL IAM LANCH'ESTER, or LONDON, ENGLAND.

; To all whom it may concern:

. going vessels by means of which the track Be it known that I,FREDERICK WILLIAM LANCHESTER, a subject of the King of Great Britain andIreland, and residing at 41 Bedford Square, London, W. C. 1, England,have invented certain new and useful Im-v provements in Aeroplanes andApparatus for Launching and Receiving Same, of which the following is aspecificat1on.-

The present invention relates to improvements in aeroplanes andapparatus for launching and recei 'n same, and has for its object topermit of the launching and receiving of aeroplanes by vessels at sea,and otherwise under unfavorable conditions of landing and whenaccommodation of the ordinary kind is not available, such, as, forexample, on small islets or rocky coasts.

he presentxinvention consists in apparatus for launching and receivingaeroplanes comprising a multiple tight-rope track, adapted to directlsupport them and a counter-part or compl ementary provision on thefuselage or wing members of the aeroplane comprising laterally arrangedrails or runners forming continuous transverse bearers extending thespan'of the wing structure.

The'present inventionfurther consists ina means or mechanism embodied inand actuated from the aeroplane for gripping one or more of thetight-r'opesaforesaid to I act as a brake to bring the aeroplane rapidlyto rest.

The present invention further consists in the application of a multipletight rope launching and receiving apparatus to seacomprising a multipletightrope track mounted on folding outriggers may be housed or shippedwhen not required.

The present invention further consists in the improvements in 'aerolanes and appaeing shown housed close to the side of the ratus forlaunching .an

hereafter described. I Y

The drawings herewith illustrate one mode of carrying the invention intoeffect. Figure 1 is an elevation, and

1 Fig. 2 is a plan showing a pair of multile rope tracks as fitted to aship, one track receiving same ship, the other track being shown in itsoperative position. Fig. 3 is an elevation, and Fig. 4- is plan of oneof the outriggers.

out swung Specification of Letters Patent.

- heads 5, one

length of the a bore. The tight-rope Patented July 29, 1919.

Application filed January 18, i919. Serial No. 271,934.

F ig. 5 is a view of one of the cable swivel posts and cable tensionlngdevice.

F 1g. 6- 1s a side elevation showing the two transverse bearers orrunners fitting below the fuselage of Fig. 7 one of the said bearers orrunners.

Fig. 8 is a view of the guiding and braking device.

ig. 9 is, an end view of one of the outriggers'.

As concerns the track for launching and receiving aeroplanes as appliedto a seagoing vessel, two outriggers 1 are provided consisting ofbrackets furnished with spar extensions, the said brackets being pivoted3 fixed to the side of the vessel andadapted to be swung out anaeroplane.

at right angles when in use or to be housed parallel or nearly parallelto the side of the vessel when-shipped. A number of tight ropes 4,conveniently some dozen or more,

are carried by the Outriggers aforesaid. Each tight-rope, stretchingfrom outrigger to outrigger, is carried by a pair of swivel such headbeing provided on either outrigger for each rope. A suitableconstruction of swivel head is as follows. A vertical shaft 6 is mountedin journals in theoutrigger and this tubular shaft has a continuation 7at its upper extremity of quadrant form and furnished with a groove inwhich the tight-rope is constrained to rest. This continuation may beconsidered as an extension of the shaft 6 bent to an easy radius througha right angle, a portion 8 of the bend being cut away to expose isthreaded through the bore and is furnished at the lowerv extremity witha screw 9 or other tightening device, which seats itself under tensionin the bored end of the quadrant continuation. The axes of the swivelheads are parallel to one another and parallel to the outriggermountings so that when the Outriggers are housed, the whole combinationforms a multiple parallelogram linkwork, adapted to lie snugly againstthe side of the vessel.

Anumber of chains or cables 10, which act as guy ropes, are attached toeach cut rigger and are led around suitable guide pulleys on board ship.The chains may be connected from one outrigger to the other on boardship. Tensioning devices are provided 'for the said chains or cables andthe is an end-way elevation showing tension imposed thereon determinesthe ag gre ate tension imposed on the tight-ropes 0 t' e track. One ofthe said cables is led round a Windlass or the like. By turning theWindlass the outri gers and track are moved from the housed to theoperative position, or vice versa, when desired.

In another arrangement the outrigger tensioning chains or the like areconnected at bow and stern respectively to hydraulic controlling andoperating gears.

As fconcerns the aeroplane, the lower wing alighting. In one (or both)of the .runners brake block by means of mechanismpro- .at or near itscenter and beneath the fuselage a V-shaped notch'or gate 15 is formed,

as shown in Fig. 8, and a counter-part V- shaped brake block 16 iscorrespondingly arranged with vertical sliding motion controlled by thepilot. When alighting the brake block is set in its lowermost positionand one or other of the tight-ropes 4. forming the track is caught inthe V-groove between one of the fixed flanks of same and the brake blockaforesaid. By raising-the vided the pilot can brin any required degreeof grip to bear on t e particular rope engaged and thereby exert anydesired degree of braking effort. 5 In order to better retain thetight-rope within the" braking device the face of the brake block orthat of the V-groove may be made concave.

-When it is desiredto launch an aero lane fitted by the braking deviceaforesai the brake block is brought up initially .into its highestposition when the V-groove is approximately filled and the lower face ofthe brake block forms a bridgerendering the runner virtually continuous.The aeroplane may be flown from the track under its own motive power,the coefficient of friction between the runners and'the tight-ropesbeing, comparatively speaking, low. If required, however, launching maybeassisted by a cable actuated by a hydraulic cylinder or winding enginein a manner well known.

'The multiple tight-rope track'aforesaidis preferably arranged on such alevel as to be clear of gunfire if the vessel be armed. Aeroplanes maybe conveniently brought aboard after landing by means of a derrlck orScotsman carried from one of the In the application to ocean-goingvessels it is important that the platform utilized shall be to windwardof the ship so that the pilot will not be flying in disturbed air and 1eddy currents; it is for this reason that it is proposed to provide theplatform in duplicate. The system should prove of great advantage fromthe naval standpoint inasmuch as the aeroplane-carrying ship will beable to launch and receiveaeroplanes without deviating from its courseand thus where such a ship is accompanying a fleet or convoy, this is amatter of vital consequence since it will be able to keep station. Theproblem of an aeroplane carrier accompanying a battle fleet or cruisersquadron steaming at from 20 to 30 knots is' otherwise one of greatdifliculty. While maneuvering to windward in order to pick up or launchaeroplanes,

keep pace with he squadron to-which it is attached. y

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 2-- 1. An aeroplane adapted to alight on atrack and provided with a runner designed to engage the track, and brakemeans located on the runner and operable u on engagement of the runnerwith the trac for clamping the track.

' 2. An aeroplane adapted to alight on a rope track provided with arunner designed for receiving a rope of the track and brake means forclamping said rope in said runner.

. 3. An aeroplane adapted to alight on a tight-rope track, provided witha runner having a V-shape groove adapted to receive a rope of the track,and a brake block for clamping a rope in said groove.

4. The combination with a supporting structure, of outriggers pivotallysecured to the carrier ship as constructed not only cannot keep station,but is unable to rue said structure for horizontal swingmg movement, aseries of'vertical shafts rotatably mounted in each of said outrlggersand each having a quadrant head provlded in its upper face with a grooveand a recess and provided between the recess and rear edge witha bore,ropes extending between the Outriggers and engaging the grooves andbores, and means adjustably engaged with 'theends of each of the ropesandbearing against the heads for adjusting the ten-

